My war hero Dad's dying wish was peace
Hero Henry Rice’s dying wish was for the world to finally learn the lessons of history. The Royal Navy braveheart, part of the fabled Normandy Invasion to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe, died last month aged 100. His funeral will be held on November 13 just days after the country falls silent to honour its war dead, a date that for eight decades was indelibly inked in his diary.
TL;DR
- Henry Rice, a WWII veteran who participated in the Normandy Invasion, died at 100, wishing for the world to learn from history.
- He was troubled by the current global situation resembling the pre-war era and worried about his grandchildren's future.
- Remembrance Day was a significant date for Rice, representing a duty to remember fallen servicemen and the lasting impact of war.
- Rice served aboard HMS Eastway, ferrying soldiers and supplies to Juno Beach on D-Day +5.
- He was awarded the Legion of Honour but felt embarrassed by the label 'hero', stating the real heroes were the soldiers on the beaches.
- The number of British WWII veterans is rapidly declining, making upcoming Remembrance services potentially among the last opportunities to thank them.
- Rice emphasized that his generation remembered the horrors of war hoping it would never happen again, but he worried about history repeating itself.
- Marie Scott, another WWII veteran, described her role as a radio operator during D-Day, transmitting messages from underground and hearing the sounds of battle, which she never forgot.
- Both Rice and Scott highlighted the importance of remembering the people behind the names on memorials and the price paid for freedom.